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Within blocks her bulling slowed to inching. She narrowed her eyes at the throng of tourists and locals forming impenetrable walls—and thought if she saw one more person sporting a peace sign or waving a flower flag, she might just pull her weapon and give them one good zap.
I’ve got your peace right here, she thought.
She glanced at the time, blew out a breath, then used her dash ’link to contact Roarke.
“Lieutenant. I take it this isn’t to let me know you’re on your way home.”
“No. I’m fighting through freaking Peace Day mayhem. If these people want peace, why the hell don’t they stay home?”
“Because they want to share goodwill with their fellow man?”
“Bullshit. Because they want to get drunk and cop feels in the crowd.”
“There is that. Where are you heading?”
“The morgue. It’s a bad one.”
“I’m sorry. Can you tell me?”
“Sixteen-year-old daughter of a decorated cop, one who recently earned his captain’s bars. Rape-murder, in her home. Her parents found the body this morning when they returned from a weekend holiday.”
“I’m very sorry.” Those intense blue eyes searched her face looking, she knew, for cracks.
“I’m fine.”
“All right. Is there anything I can do?”
You just did it, she thought, by asking. “I’m trying to fit the pieces together. One of them is Jamie.”
“Jamie? How?”
“They were friends.”
“Surely you don’t think—”
“No, I don’t think. I’ll check out his alibi simply because I don’t want to leave any blanks, but he’s not a suspect. She had a secret boyfriend—one it’s looking like targeted her, laid all the groundwork. I’m on my way to the morgue to see if some of the pieces in my head fit the evidence. After that, I’m hitting the lab.”
She saw a minute break in traffic, gunned it, flipped her vertical, soared over—she loved this new ride—and swung west.
“I asked Whitney to order Morris in today. Then I’m convening a briefing at Central. We need to run like crimes, go through the electronics, start a sweep on her areas of interest, so—”
“I believe I’ll come down and watch you work.”
“Look—”
“I can stay out of the way if that’s what you want. But you won’t keep Jamie out. I may be some help there. You’ve said her parents—one a police captain—returned home to find her dead. But you don’t mention security discs or the system. One assumes a veteran cop would take all necessary means, including strong security, to protect his family. There’s some e-work here.”
“That’s Feeney’s aegis.”
“I’ll be contacting him then.”
Knew you would. “Wouldn’t you like a nice quiet Sunday at home?”
“I would, if I had my wife here. But she’s having a different sort of day.”
“Suit yourself. Question. Why didn’t you tell me you were supplementing Jamie’s scholarship?”
“Busted.” He looked mildly disconcerted.
